


I Dreamed You Died

by jade_earrings



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Drug Use, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Polyamory, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sexual Assault, Smoking, Threesome - M/M/M, not within the trio though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:47:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27805576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jade_earrings/pseuds/jade_earrings
Summary: When Ash meets a student at his college, he gets glimpses of his parallel life, and what happened to him and the people he cares about most in a different universe. As he pieces together events of his alternate past, are there things he is doomed to repeat?
Relationships: Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji, Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji/Shorter Wong, Ash Lynx/Shorter Wong, Okumura Eiji/Shorter Wong
Comments: 5
Kudos: 25





	I Dreamed You Died

**Author's Note:**

> I meant to start putting this out in October, but you know how that goes. 
> 
> I like to front-load my tags and the rating to include future chapters, just so there are no surprises. Thanks for reading!

Taking Advanced Logic at 8:00 AM was a mistake. 

Ash was complaining about it at breakfast for the third time that week. Shorter didn't mind Ash's 8 AM logic class, because by the time he was done, it was just in time for Shorter to meet him for breakfast. Or, if Ash headed right back to their dorm room, just in time to wake him up. Earlier in the week, Ash had told Shorter he had a meeting with his professor right after class that day, and that he’d meet up with him afterward.

That morning, Shorter was already awake in time to read Ash’s text.

**Done early. Dining hall?**

Ash got a text back almost immediately. 

**Be there in 10.**

Ash leaned against the row of lockers where he’d just stashed his coat and backpack, facing the door. He didn’t have to wait long before he saw the familiar silhouette. 

“Hey, Sunshine.” Shorter grinned at him. 

Ash gave him a weary look. Shorter’s eyebrows raised.

“All right,” he answered, amused as they got their cards swiped at the entrance of the dining hall. 

Ash floated past the food stations like a ghost. The egg line was long, plus the thought of eating eggs made him want to throw up. He headed straight for the coffee, picking up one of the mugs and filling it to the brim. 

The waffle maker was smoking already, and it was barely after 9:15 AM. Ash went for the donut tray instead, deciding that he didn’t feel like DIYing his breakfast that morning. He piled one donut on top of another, and then another, onto his plate before returning the tongs to the tray. When Shorter saw the donut tower on Ash’s plate, along with the fullest cup of coffee he’d ever seen, he laughed. 

“Rough morning?” he asked him.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Shorter laughed again, staying at Ash’s side as he steered them toward Ash’s favorite table in the dining hall. The one in a corner next to the wall that was one large window, so that Ash could watch people as they passed by outside. 

As they set their trays down, Shorter could see the dark circles under Ash’s eyes, beneath the rims of his glasses.

Ash had never been a morning person. Shorter had known that pretty much since the day he met him. So the fact that Ash was now stuck in an 8:00 AM philosophy class struck Shorter as hilarious. Especially since Ash was the one who signed up for the class in the first place, and was now refusing to get out of it. 

“So.” Shorter eased into his seat. “You gonna drop?” 

“No,” Ash said quickly as he set his tray down.. “It’s too close to midterms. I’d feel like I wasted my time.”

“Fair enough.” Shorter brought his own coffee cup to his lips. “I’ve heard the professor is shitty.”

“All philosophy people are weird.” Ash laughed ruefully. “But yeah, he is.” 

Ash’s thoughts drifted back to just twenty minutes ago, when he’d been sitting in his Advanced Logic professor’s office, explaining to him that he would miss the upcoming midterm for a doctor appointment and that he needed to schedule a time to make it up. 

“Can’t you reschedule it?” the professor had asked. “The appointment.”

“No.” Ash blinked. “That’s why I’m here.” 

“Well, what’s it for?” 

Ash stared. “I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to ask me that.”

“What, is it like, serious?”

Ash’s head filled with so many possible answers to this question. He settled on the most unappealing one he could think of at that moment. If he was going to pry, Ash was determined to make him regret it. 

“I have to get a colonoscopy,” Ash began. “You know, it’s where they-”

“Fine-”

Ash smiled. That hadn’t taken long.

“You can take the exam at a different time. But it’s your responsibility to schedule it with me.”

“That’s...why I’m here.” Ash pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ll take it early. I’ll email you, and you can give me a time I can come in.” He stood up from the chair and slung his backpack over his shoulder. “I’ll be in touch.” 

He barely glanced at his professor’s face, his mouth open and wordless as Ash turned and left the office and headed down the stairs, his footsteps echoing throughout the cold stone building. 

Shorter’s voice brought him back to the surface. 

“Hey.” 

Ash blinked. His eyes refocused on Shorter, who was gazing at him, a flicker of concern on his face that Ash had seen countless times before.

“Something else happen?”

It was like Shorter could read his mind. 

“No,” Ash answered. 

“Okay.” Shorter gave him a knowing look, and then leaned forward to pick up the donut that he knew Ash liked the least and put it on his own plate. “I heard they’re going to put up a sign that says ‘Limit 2 Donuts Per Person’.” 

“Maybe,” Ash answered. 

“With your picture on it.”

“Mm.”

“The one from your ID, that looks like a mug shot.” 

Ash scoffed. 

“They’re going to start frisking you at the door,” Shorter added.

“They already do that.” Ash cracked a smile. 

“That’s better.” Shorter watched Ash’s shoulders relax finally as he took a noisy slurp from his coffee cup. “10/10’s tonight,” Shorter said after a beat. “You want to go?” 

Ash let out a rueful laugh. “Sure, might as well,” he answered, shrugging. 

“Good boy.” Shorter smiled fully at him. Ash pursed his lips as he wrapped his hands around his coffee mug. 

“It’s going to be a shit show,” he told Shorter. 

“Hope so.” Shorter laughed. “You got work later?”

“My shift ends at 6,” Ash answered. “We can go right after dinner, if you want.” 

Shorter nodded. “I’ll be out of the studio by then.” 

Ash nodded, then sucked in a breath and let it out in a huge sigh. Shorter laughed.

“You need a nap.” 

“Maybe later,” Ash told him. He downed the rest of his coffee and wrapped the last donut in a napkin before shoving it into his coat pocket. 

The 10/10 party was a tradition. Sort of.

No one knew for sure how long it had been going on. Some people said that this year, it was the tenth year. 10 years of 10/10. 

10/10 was perfectly timed. It was right before midterms, around the time when people were wound just a little too tight and needed a release, something to take the edge off.

The 10/10 party started in Lacke hall, on South campus, and then moved throughout each of the dorms until it culminated in everyone taking a shot in the middle of the quad at 10:10 PM. Where people went afterward, or what they did, was their business.

This year, 10/10 fell on a Friday night. The years when it fell on a Monday or a Tuesday night made the rest of the week rough for everyone involved. But not this year.

10/10 falling on a Friday night this year was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that there were no classes the next day, and a curse in that those who attended the party were doomed to experience an exquisite, weekend-long hangover. Ash had learned this last year as a freshman, which he’d chalked up to hubris.

This year, he wouldn’t make the same mistake. He’d bring his own cup, he wouldn’t take any drinks that anyone offered him, and hopefully the night wouldn't end with him getting fingered by some senior on the cold, wet grass at the edge of the quad, in full view of anyone who walked by, while some other drunk guy almost tripped over him while exclaiming ‘What the fuck.’

This year would be better. 

Ash went to his 10:00 AM Lit class, barely able to stay awake. His shift at the library started at 1:00 PM, so he headed there right after he picked up his grab-and-go from the counter outside the dining hall. He knew he was probably going to be on shelving that shift, and he had been looking forward to spending a few hours in the stacks, away from people.

When he arrived at the library and checked the schedule, which confirmed that he wasn’t working the circulation desk, he was filled with relief. He pulled his shelving assignment, and then rolled his cart to the elevator so that he could ride up with the cart to the top floor. 

The air in the top floor of the library was warmer, with dust particles and the smell of old books floating in the air. It was dead quiet, too. Occasionally there would be a few people studying in the carrels, but usually, the entire floor was empty. Since it was a Friday afternoon, most people were clearing out early. 

Ash ran his fingertips over the row of spines absent-mindedly as he pored through one of the books he was supposed to reshelf, cradling it in his hand as his eyes scanned the pages. After several moments, he closed the book, its pages brushing together before he pressed it into the space between call numbers. 

He pushed the cart past the stacks of bound masters theses and stopped, eyeing the shelf before he slid one of the volumes out. He thumbed through it, not bothering to read the name. 

And then, he heard something. A loud thump, from somewhere across the stacks. And then, a whisper. 

Ash froze, dead silent, counting to five before he started to exhale. He couldn’t hear anything. Slowly, leaving the cart parked in front of the dissertation shelf, Ash moved toward the other end of the stacks, his heart pounding in his ears. The silence was unnerving now, even more so than the noise had been just seconds before. 

On the floor between the shelves was a dusty-looking book that wasn’t big enough or heavy enough to make the sound that it did. Ash approached it cautiously, as if he didn’t trust it. Slowly, he bent down and picked up the book carefully by its spine, turning it over. Salinger. _No thanks._ Ash frowned. His fingertips separated the pages carefully, and his eyes fell over the words, not reading them. 

He put the book on the cart, on the pile he collected that he planned to check out. 

The rest of Ash’s shift passed with him in a daze, and all of the sudden, it was evening and he wasn’t sure where he’d been for the past few hours. He couldn’t tell if this was happening more often recently, or if his memory was just faulty that week. For a moment, he wondered if he had enough energy for 10/10, and then he decided that in a couple hours, he’d be too drunk to care. 

He and Shorter had dinner together, Shorter’s hands and wrists still streaked with paint as they sat down at their usual table. The lighting in the dining hall seemed warmer, and Ash felt himself start to relax once more. Having Shorter close helped. 

This year, every dorm had their own pre-party, and then 10/10 would start at 8:00 PM. It was already dark by the time Ash and Shorter set out to the first pre-party on South campus. Ash lit a cigarette as they made their way through the covered loggia, passing other smokers congregating under the “No Smoking” sign on the wall. 

When they got to Lacke hall, Ash spotted a group of people dressed in full 1920s attire, and he decided he wasn’t nearly drunk enough for this. Shorter pressed a beer into his hand and then popped the cap for him with the bottle opener on his keyring. 

They made their way from one dorm, one party to the next. Once they had gone through all of South campus, they made their way across the lawn, bypassing the only all-girls dorm (it had the best laundry room), and then continued onto north campus, which ended up being a letdown. Too many jocks, business majors, wannabe frat guys. Ash was exhausted already. He took pull after pull from his flask until he was tipsy, and only then, with Shorter warm at his side, his laughter and his voice in his ears as they stood talking to some of his friends, did Ash start to feel normal. 

By the time they got to Ranier hall, on East Campus, Ash was drunk. Really drunk. The fluorescent lights in the dorm lobby were harsh and he had to look at the floor.

When he looked up, someone bumped right into him, spilling his can of beer. Most of it got on the floor, only a little bit on his coat. 

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re good,” Ash answered. When he looked up, he focused on the person who had run into him, who was now talking to him. The person who looked oddly familiar. 

He had soft-looking dark hair and large, round eyes. His cheeks were flushed, his mouth parted slightly, and he was surrounded by people who all looked like athletes. 

“I can get you another beer.” 

“Nah, I’m fine.” Ash’s gaze moved over his face, focusing on his lips. 

“My name is Eiji.” The huge eyes blinked. “Eiji Okumura.” 

“Eiji.” Ash’s mouth felt dry. He licked his lips, and it didn’t help. “Ash Callenreese.” 

He swallowed as Eiji’s face lit up. 

“Ash,” he repeated, practically beaming back at him as he reached out his hand. Slowly, Ash reached up to take it. 

There was a flash of something. It was sharp and too loud, and it filled Ash’s vision and his ears and made him feel like he was drowning. This time, it wasn’t because someone put something in his drink, or passed him something on their tongue. He was drunk, but... 

Eiji was staring back at him, a look of uncertainty mixed with concern on his face. 

“Ash?”

Ash finally remembered to breathe. The sounds of the people crowding around them came roaring back. It was suddenly too hot, he was sweating, and...

“Sorry,” he blurted out before turning and heading for the door. 

Once he was outside, Ash gulped in lungfuls of damp air, the night cool and dark around him. From there, he could hear the low hum of voices and the lights from inside the dorms as each party continued without him, as the world kept moving around him. 

“Hey…”

He blinked, everything coming back into focus as he felt Shorter at his side, his hand on his arm.

“You okay?”

Ash sucked in a slow, shaky breath. Shorter's sunglasses were pushed up into his mohawk, his mouth a concerned line. 

"You had enough?"

Ash nodded. 

"Yeah." 

Shorter watched Ash for a beat, then put his arm around him, steering him in the direction of their dorm. Ash settled against Shorter’s side. He didn’t feel drunk anymore, not really, and by the time they reached their room, it was too quiet, and he felt like he could still perceive everything around him too clearly. So when he fell into bed with Shorter, their lips connecting, the room dark and cool and filled with only the sounds of their breathing, Ash was relieved. 

“This okay?” Shorter asked him in the dark, his arms around him. He was good at asking, especially when they’d been drinking. 

“Yeah.” Ash slid his arms around Shorter’s neck and kissed him deeply, his tongue moving slowly against Shorter’s as everything started to dissolve around him, as the strange, sharp feeling from before finally started to fade. 

_Eiji Okumura._

**Author's Note:**

> [talk to me here](https://twitter.com/jade_earrings)


End file.
